[HD2 Accessories] btyeh:
Hey guys :cool: I just recieved the OFFICIAL HTC HD2 Extended Battery with Kickstand from Taiwan (currently in Australia) and here are a few quick images and first impressions.

Official Name: HTC HD2 Extended Battery w/Cover

Product Designation: BP E400

Compatibility: Only HTC HD2 (of course)

Rated Voltage: 3.7V

Battery Capacity: 2300mAh

Designed by: HTC Corporation in Taoyuan, Taiwan

Manufactured in: China

Now there are plenty of video reviews on the net such as here and here (both Youtube), so I thought I'd focus more on the smaller details and impressions.

[ Packaging ]

I don't know about you, but I found the general shape of the packaging hilarious. I would of expected food inside rather than a battery! I guess its awesome in its own way.

There is nothing else inside, just the cover and the battery.

[ Physical Battery Comparison ]

Left is the extended, right is the standard stock battery. Nothing much to see here..

[ Physical Battery Cover Comparison ]

Once again, left is stock extended, right is stock standard (ignore the decal I put on it, the extended will soon look like that anyway).

[ Underside of Cover ]

Notice how there is a soft central pad just like the standard stock cover, to hold down the battery.

One thing I must mention though, the cover is made of this good-quality plastic. Yes its made of plastic, not like the metal standard one. I was expecting it to be metal as well, but the feel and texture of the cover does not disappoint. It feels sturdy and slightly grainy, like the top and bottom halves of the back of the HD2.

[ Holding with the Larger Cover ]

I've found no noticable discomfort in holding the phone with the bigger cover. In fact it feels quite comfortable as there are now ledges for the fingers to grip on the top and bottom.

[ Phone + Extended Cover ]

Now to the selling point: The Kickstand

The kickstand itself is made of metal, yes metal. There's that horizontal streaked-effect on it, much like the keys on the front. The spring that pops it open feels VERY sturdy, and does not wobble either in the open or closed position. You probably need a small amount of fingernails to get it to open though.

The kickstand only works in landscape (I don't know if it was common sense but I always thought it would work perfectly well in portrait too). Turns out the spring propping up the phone is not strong enough to hold it up in portrait. I guess if you jam something in-between the prop and cover you could hold it up (such as Blutac or something).

[ EXTRA - External Battery Charger ]

(Not included)

Now I use an external battery charger (I rotate between two standard batteries), and I was curious if the new, bigger battery would fit and charge in there..

.. lo and behold it does, and quite a snug fit too. If you have this or something simillar, be on the lookout for which direction the charge port on the battery is orientated. It took me about two jams before I realised I was putting it in the wrong way.

[ Other Comments ]

Overall, a very satisfied customer (I'm still not over the packaging design :cool:). Now there will probably be comparisons between this and the other one by Momax, or something, not sure what its called.

Notice how the other one is rated at 2400mAh, and this stock one at 2300mAh. Remember there was a thread measuring the performance of the stock 1230mAh to a third-party 1600mAh the same size as the stock. The result? Identical if not reduced battery life. I just don't think there really is a 100mAh difference between these two. It doesn't make sense that a third-party could squeeze in a higher capacity yet HTC couldn't, and it just smells like upscale marketing. Regardless, I haven't done the tests so I can't make any judgement on that.

Thats it! Thats all I have really. Not sure if this is out in other countries yet, but I would not shrug off the recommendation of getting an extended battery when the time comes to have a little extra juice for our beloved HD2.

p.s. Did you know it says 'Printed with Soy Ink' on the bottom right corner of the back of the packaging. This just further supports my theory HTC was planning to sell me food instead of a battery :(.

No I don't work for HTC, nor am I affiliated with any of their company standings. Just another satisfied HTC customer!